Fourteen Great Art Exhibits in Chicago Right Now

Art fairs, a photographer who kisses strangers, folded aluminum sculptures, and lots more at the city’s galleries

By Jason Foumberg

Published Sept. 9, 2013

Photo: Courtesy of Expo Chicago

Scene from last year’s Expo Chicago. Catch the action starting September 19.

Art Fairs

EDITION9/20–22 In an attempt to attract entry-level art collectors, all pieces featured at this show cost less than $5,000. Chicago Artists’ Coalition, 217 N Carpenter. editionchicago.com.

EXPO CHICAGO9/19–22 Returning for its second year to Navy Pier, the Jeanne Gang–designed art fair showcases 120 international contemporary and modern galleries. Navy Pier, 600 E Grand. expochicago.com.

Galleries

CARRIE SECRIST GALLERY9/7–10/12Andrew Holmquist. The gifted painter introduces a new series of abstract works that reflects a robust studio practice. 835 W Washington. secristgallery.com.

CATHERINE EDELMAN GALLERYCritic’s Pick9/6–11/2Julie Blackmon: Homegrown. The photographer turns her camera on her family (she is one of nine children and a mother of three) to create elegantly composed domestic scenes, formally staged like early-modern Dutch paintings. 300 W Superior. edelmangallery.com.

CORBETT VS. DEMPSEYCritic’s Pick9/6–10/19Rebecca Morris. Since graduating from SAIC in 1994, Morris has become a painter’s painter with a cult following, and for good reason: She innovated a style of abstraction that manages to be both breezy and rigorous. 1120 N Ashland, corbettvsdempsey.com.

GLASS CURTAIN GALLERY9/3–11/2Slow Read. The five artists in this exhibition display titles by Roberto Bolaño and Anaïs Nin, among others, that provide deeper insight into their own thought processes and are available for browsing. A limited edition artists’ book will be produced for the show. Columbia College, 1104 S Wabash. colum.edu/deps.

UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF MODERN ARTThrough 9/29Chicago’s Bauhaus Legacy. Chicago was ground zero for the spread of European-style modernism in the early to mid–20th century. Learn about New Bauhaus, an innovative stylistic method developed in Germany. Thu–Sun 11–4. $5 suggested donation. 2320 W Chicago. uima-chicago.org.

WESTERN EXHIBITIONS9/6–10/19Rachel Niffenegger: Flesh Club. Like a good horror flick, Niffenegger’s sculptures and drawings can make you uncomfortably sensitive to the dark meat and hard bone beneath your skin. Niffenegger has a deft touch, manipulating grotesque materials into painfully beautiful images and objects. 845 W Washington. westernexhibitions.com.